aug., 1910.] Camembert and Other Soft Cheeses. 371 



CAMEMBERT AND OTHER SOFT CHEESES. 

 John Benson. 



Hard or pressed cheeses have for many generations been 

 manufactured in this country, and are well known every- 

 where, but until recent years little has been heard concern- 

 ing another type of cheese, properly called soft cheese. 



No country has been so successful in the manufacture of 

 soft cheeses as France, whence we obtain nearly all the 

 delicate and refined varieties, To a certain extent the climate 

 may be responsible for the great success of French cheese- 

 makers, but given favourable conditions as to climate and 

 locality, such as prevail in the south and south-western dis- 

 tricts of England, and the presence in the dairies of the 

 necessary moulds and bacteria, there is no reason why really 

 good soft cheeses should not be made in Great Britain. It 

 has, in fact, been proved that cheeses can be made equal in 

 all respects to the best French produce, especially in the 

 south Midlands and the south and west of England, which 

 possess a moderately equable climate very similar to the soft 

 cheese-making districts of France. 



The production of soft cheese is especially to be recom- 

 mended to small farmers and to others who have small 

 quantities of milk available, particularly when they are 

 situated near populous centres or watering-places in the 

 southern parts of England. The demand for soft cheese in 

 the north Midlands or northern districts of England is not 

 great. 



The chief obstacle in the way of the successful develop- 

 ment of the soft cheese industry lies in the difficulty of 

 controlling the ripening so as to make the produce uniform. 

 Even in the localities where these cheeses are made in France 

 the quality may vary greatly ; hence it is necessary for the 

 prospective cheese-maker to acquaint himself with the condi- 

 tions desirable, the various rooms required, and the tem- 

 perature at which each should be maintained. 



In general, three rooms are necessary : (1) a making room, 

 in which the milk is coagulated, drained, and formed into 

 cheeses; (2) a drying room, where the cheeses undergo the 



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